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DECEMBER
I am going to start with
December, as this is the month to start ordering seeds if you plan on starting
your garden from scratch. Most seed
companies send out their new spring catalogs at this time, and most people aren’t
thinking spring planting yet, so you don’t have to worry about back orders and
being sold out of your favorite varieties.
Now is the time to plant sugar
snap peas, onions (seeds), lettuce and beets.
JANUARY
January is the month to spread
your steer manure and straw and get it tilled in. Look for other compost sources. If you know someone who has horses and
chickens and a way to transport the manure, this is the month to do so. Horse manure can be weedy, and if the horses
eat Bermuda grass, this is not something you want as you will never get rid of
it. Chicken manure is good, but adds no
organic matter. It is quite hot (it can
burn your plants if added while too fresh), so you want it to be in the soil
for several months before adding.
FEBRUARY
For the low desert, this is the
month to start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and basil. Start the first week or two so plants have a
good start and you have time to replant in case some don’t come up.
MARCH
Set up your cold frame, if you
are using one, and bump-up your seedlings to larger containers. You
APRIL
In the low desert the last frost
date is around the 1st, so keeping an eye on the weather, set your
plants out at this time. Plant them in
the cool of the morning to give them time to acclimate. Water every day for at least a week, then
back off to every other day or every two days, depending on how hot and dry it
is. Set up tomato cages and cover with bird netting. You don't need the shade cloth just yet.
MAY
Once the nights warm up above the
50’s, (or your garden soil is in the 60’s), you can plant melons, cucumbers,
and squash. Cover your newly planted seeds with floating row covers until they are up and several inches tall. This will keep birds from plucking them out of the ground when they sprout. You will need to up your
watering time as it starts to get hot.
Test the soil first to make sure it does not dry out too much between
watering. By this month you should be
watering every other day. If it is getting really hot, set up the shade cloth. JUNE
If you
haven't done so already, it's time to shade the tomatoes and peppers.
For the most part, however, this is the month you wait. Keep the garden well watered, up to every day
as needed. Keep weeds down. Check, check, check that bird netting! Birds are searching really hard now for
things to eat.
JULY
Start spraying Bacillus thuringiensis for tomato
hornworms and vine borers and keep it up weekly until the end of the growing
season. Keep up with weeding, as weeds
compete with food and water your plants need.
AUGUST
Same as July. If you want to start broccoli, cauliflower
and cabbage plants indoors, do so now.
SEPTEMBER
Plant onion sets. Also time to plant lettuce, kale, collard greens and swiss chard seeds. You can plant broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage seeds directly in the garden now, but they need 30% shade for at
least a month and careful tending. Set
out broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage PLANTS late in the month, also providing
shade until they are established and growing. Spray with Bacillus thuringiensis for cabbage worms
weekly.
OCTOBER
Early in the month you can plant
lettuce again. Keep spraying Bacillus thuringeniensis on
tomatoes, peppers and squash.
NOVEMBER
A quiet month, unless you are
still harvesting! Start planning for next spring…
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GO ORGANIC!
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